Want to Connect With Your Millennial Employees? Try Social Media

PLANTATION, Fla., March 15, 2017 (Newswire.com) - A typical employee communications plan might include company picnics, recognition and incentive programs and newsletters. Maybe even a spontaneous early release day.

South Florida-based dental and vision insurer Solstice Benefits, Inc., (Solstice) earned recognition recently through the national Ragan Employee Communications Awards for adding something extra to the mix: social media.

"Social media is a vehicle for us to connect with and empower employees and build excitement about the company. At the same time, this engagement boosts our brand, both for job seekers and consumers."

Alissa Gavrilescu, Solstice Director of Marketing

While many companies discourage employee use of social media as a distraction during work, Solstice did the opposite. With millennials composing a large portion of its workforce, the company used social media to drive employee engagement—even going so far as to promote a hashtag, #lifeatsolstice, for employees to use in company-related posts starting in 2012.

The hashtag caught on, and began accompanying employee-published social content showcasing Solstice culture, from daily cafecito (Cuban espresso) breaks to office tailgates, themed dress-up days and cooking competitions. Before long, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat were full of Solstice employee posts not only about formal company events, but those of a far less corporate nature, like birthdays, teamwork and friendship.

“Social media is a vehicle for us to connect with and empower employees and build excitement about the company,” said Alissa Gavrilescu, Solstice’s Director of Marketing. “At the same time, this engagement boosts our brand, both for job seekers and consumers.”

Image matters. Just as employers might screen potential hires’ social media accounts, Staff.com reports that 14.4 million people in the U.S. have used social media to hunt for a job. Here are a few statistics on social media and the workplace reported by talent sourcing company Spherion in its 2015 Emerging Workforce Study:

• 50 percent of workers say that social media platforms can influence their view of a potential employer. 
• 30 percent say that being allowed to use social media at work “greatly increases” their job satisfaction.
• 39 percent believe that having access to social media enhances productivity.

“We want our social media visitors to see what we at Solstice experience daily,” Mrs. Gavrilescu said. “We’re ‘one company, one family’ and we love what we do and the customers we are privileged to serve.”

Solstice’s social media program earned an honorable mention in the 2016 Ragan Employee Communications Awards in the Use of Social Media category. As an honorable mention recipient in the program, Solstice joins past winners including AT&T, MasterCard, PPD, Duke University, Bacardi Limited and IBM.

About Solstice:

Founded in 1998, Solstice provides dental, vision and other coverage to more than 700,000 members nationally, and has built the current No. 1 largest DHMO/EPO provider networks in both Florida and New York. Solstice DPPO members have access to a national provider network. In 2013, Solstice created an innovative private health exchange—the Solstice Marketplace. The award-winning platform offers a customizable portal for business management, as well as group enrollment.

In 2016, Solstice was ranked the No. 16 insurance company and No. 1,408 overall on Inc. magazine’s 35th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. This was the insurer’s fifth consecutive year on the Inc. 5000 list.

Headquartered in Plantation, Fla., Solstice and its subsidiaries also offer Third Party Administration (TPA) services in the Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia markets—and are in the process of expanding nationwide. For information on Solstice, contact 1.877.760.2247 or visit www.SolsticeBenefits.com and www.SolsticeMarketplace.com.

About Ragan Communications

Ragan Communications operates two of the top news and information sites for the PR and corporate communications industry: Ragan.com and PRDaily.com. Together, these daily news sites attract more than 700,000 global visitors monthly.

The Chicago-based company also covers the health care industry with HealthCareCommunication.com. Ragan is the leading provider of conferences and online training to PR, media relations, and corporate communications professionals.

The company also produces RaganTraining.com and PR Daily’s PR University, the industry’s leading video and online education portals.

Source: Solstice Benefits